Sacrifice to Love
by little hecate
Summary: Draco/Seamus SLASH... or it will be. war brings out the worst in most, but the best in some.
1. Construction Time Again

Disclaimer: J

Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns these lovely creatures. I, however, own the plot. She makes money off her characters. I receive words. So there.

Warning: this will be SLASH. That means there will be a relationship and perhaps more between two people who both happen to be of the male persuasion. Should this sort of thing irritate you, you may not want to get too involved. Just scurry along and please don't tell me what a despicable person I am, I am already painfully aware.

Pairing: none as of now, but there will be some Draco/Seamus action later on. Yeah, I know, I'm obsessed. But I finally found my pairing, damn it! and they make me happy. Yeah. So.. uh.. sorry for that outburst, we shall now continue with the regularly scheduled program.

I would like to dedicate this fic to none other than Rubicon, my lovely little muse, without whom I would not be writing. I luv ya. And also to Gwen, thanks for the kind words, here's a bit more for you. Hope you will enjoy it. Cheers!

This is without a title (as though you didn't already know) so please feel free to make a suggestion. They are always appreciated. So I guess I'll just get on with it, then….

Construction Time Again

The year before the fall of his lord, Lucius's wife gave him a son. This son was destined to give the Dark Lord an heir. It was only a minor sacrifice for Lucius in order to secure himself a place at the top of the proverbial food chain. His concern was not to continue the family name or even to have someone to leave his own legacy to. That was all minor. But to go down in history as the creator of the boy to whom the most powerful of wizards had left his empire was the end-all-be-all for Lucius.

Some said Draco was a coldhearted boy. Others argued that he had no heart at all. The truth was somewhere between the two. Those who knew him as a small child knew him as intelligent, perhaps too intelligent for his own good. He used to smile and dream and play like most children. But this was only a temporary state for Draco. His father had started working on him when he was six years old, carefully removing any and every aspect that was unique to Draco's personality. Over the next five years he had molded and formed Draco to be nothing more than a cold cast of himself.

Devoid of feeling, Draco had become the perfect kind of soldier. He answered to his father's every demand, never bothering to question the motives behind it. He had no motives of his own, no selfish pursuits with which he might define himself. He had no self. There was a wall built between his heart and the world. On the outside he made it appear as though there was nothing within him. But behind that wall, deep inside there was a steady flame warming the hands of the boy Draco Malfoy could have been.

Before Draco had gone off to school, Lucius had been sure to impart in his son the knowledge that Harry Potter was the enemy. He'd spent days locked in a cold, stone room reciting his father's notes until they were a part of his psyche. He'd come out believing that there was no worse evil in the universe than Potter. He made his father very, very proud.

Being away from his father for the first time in his life gave Draco the opportunity to put his knowledge into practice. He treated Potter not only as the enemy, but as the scourge of the Earth. But over the years, it had become little more than a silly, childish rivalry. For Draco, their rivalry had become something he could call his own. Potter himself had become something of a possession to him, something his father couldn't touch. Being away from Lucius gave Draco a chance to come into his own. Though little of who he was was created through personal experience, Draco was forced to learn how to be independent of his father. Spending ten months of every year on his own, he had to learn to fend for himself. Fending for himself meant that he would only put more of what Lucius had taught him into practice.

*****

Most everyone in his family had had hard lives. But Seamus Finnegan lead a far more difficult life than the rest of them put together. He was a short, skinny kid that grew up being treated as though he were a burden on the world's shoulders. He was neither expected nor wanted by either of his parents, and he was painfully aware of this. The fact that he had no attention span and a rather active body made him a difficult child to raise, but his family's dislike for him went above and beyond. When Seamus was five years old, his father left his wife and children to join a Muggle terrorist group. His mother had come to live with her daughter-in-law in the hopes that she could do something to set her son's irresponsible actions right. What she ended up doing was raising her grandchildren when their mother turned to the bottle for consolation.

Growing up in a Muggle part of Ireland, Seamus learned how to adapt. The vast majority of the children he grew up with were Muggles, though there were a few wizards and witches as well. He was the ultimate child of two worlds. He knew almost every Muggle and wizard game known to man, read both Muggle and wizard literature, and even learned how to drive a car. Although going off to Hogwarts placed him more in the wizarding world than the Muggle one he grew up in, he fit in perfectly.

Confessing his sexuality to his family made the rift even deeper. He was thirteen years old when he decided he could no longer put off the inevitable and told his grandmother he was gay. She accepted him with open arms, as was her style. But when it came time to tell the rest of the family, he was not so well received. His mother cried, then denied it. His older brother, Thomas, laughed and called him a sodding woofter. Burke, his younger brother, said nothing at all. He hardly knew Seamus at all and didn't care about such a thing, anyway.

Hogwarts proved to be his saving grace. He had friends there who accepted him and loved him for who he was, and not _in spite of who he was. Dean Thomas, his best friend, though he didn't share the same preference, was supportive beyond all belief. He knew of Seamus' pathetic home life and did his best to make up for it when he could. While he was indeed a difficult student, he was extremely bright and more than willing to learn. Over the years, he had become a favourite of most of his teachers and very few of his classmates disliked him. Hogwarts had given him an opportunity to blossom, and blossom he did._

*****

For the first hour of their detention together, the two boys had said nothing to each other. They had earned it independently of the other and had little reason to speak to each other, anyway. Over the course of six and a half years they had said maybe a handful of words to the other. Being in separate houses had not so much made enemies of them as it had built an almost impenetrable fortress around them. After all, Gryffindor and Slytherin were simply not meant to be on friendly terms with each other.

There was no one in the whole of the United Kingdom as skilled at handling dangerous creatures as the Hogwarts gamekeeper and Care of Magickal Creatures teacher. Hagrid had been asked by the Ministry to raise Welsh Greens, as their numbers had greatly dwindled in recent years. The dragons themselves had been exported earlier that day, leaving the pens free to be cleaned. There having been no less than fifteen baby dragons under Hagrid's care, the pens were in a horrid state.

"No magick!" Draco complained, finally breaking the silence.

Seamus couldn't help but smile. "Finally figured it out, did ya'?"

"Shove it, Finnegan. I suppose you're enjoying this aren't you? Reminds you of home, I imagine."

With his usual grace, Seamus cheerfully replied, "No, not really. It does remind me of dragon pens that haven't been cleaned for a week, though."

"Are you intentionally that dense or is it a birth defect?"

He seemed to give it some thought. "Birth defect." And he went back to shoveling the bones of small animals into a heap.

Draco stood there, totally taken aback. Never had anyone so gracefully accepted being berated by him before.

"Are you going to stand there and stare at me all night?" Seamus asked sweetly, not looking up. "I mean, I know I'm just too cute for words, but I would like to get this done and over with before I die of old age."

The other boy let a cold smile cross his face. "Can't have that, now, can we?" he said with a sickly sweet tone he reserved for insolent Gryffindors. "Goodness knows, your poor old mother might starve to death between now and then. Pity she's not got a good man to take care of her..."

At that Seamus stopped and turned around. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, nothing really. Just a shame that a nice woman such as herself should have to be without companionship. How does she handle being second best to Muggle women?"

"Stop right there, Malfoy."

Draco mentally gave himself a point for getting a rise out of the Irish boy. "What's the matter, Finnegan? Still crying yourself to sleep because Daddy chose Muggles over your mum?"

"What the hell do you know about my dad, anyway?" he asked, trying to keep the emotion out of his voice. 'That's two.'

"I know lots of things," he drawled, picking at his fingernails. "I know he ran off to fight some silly little war..."

"Do you know he's dead?" Seamus shot, cold fury accentuating every syllable, drawing Draco's attention once more. "Do you know he's been dead for eleven years? Do you know that I saw him die?" At that Draco paled, knowing he had crossed the line. "That's right, Malfoy. I was there in Dublin when he was taken down by bullets from a gun carried by his best friend. I was lying on my stomach in the street watching them kill anyone and everyone they could. Kids, Malfoy, kids were caught up in the crossfire. 'Silly little war' is it? I don't think it's very **silly when people are willing to devote their lives and lives of their family and friends to fight for a cause. It's not all that ****little when everyone you know is a part of it and has been since before you were even born." Draco backed up as Seamus came closer. "Six years old, Malfoy. I was six years old when I saw my father's friend point his gun and kill him. You want to talk about 'silly little wars'? How about your war with Harry? _That's silly and little. __You are silly and little."_**

Draco involuntarily shrank away from the livid boy in front of him. For all he wanted to hate Seamus, the pain and fear emanating from him made it a virtual impossibility. All Draco really wanted was for the last hour and half to not have occurred at all. He would have gladly given back whatever minor and petty victories he had won just to make it all disappear. The seething visage of Seamus Finnegan was frightening him into a submission that not even the Dark Lord himself had ever evoked from him. He stood there silent and staring, not even remotely aware of the way his face had turned from an expression of mockery to one of concern.

"And don't look at me like that either. Don't _ever say you know __anything about me and my life. And don't you ever, __ever try and talk to me about '__silly, **little wars'," he spat, the animosity in his voice almost palpable.**_

These words never registered with Draco; he never heard them. He was off in a world all his own where the walls were crashing down. Walls built by generation upon generation of people just like his father. People whose only concern was ever to have their name passed down and to be known to all the world. People with warped ideals. Ideals that he had been taught and, though he never believed in them himself, came to regard with some measure of acceptance. Options were extremely limited when you were a Malfoy. Either you chose to suck it up and play the game or you chose to be most dishonourably discharged. This discharge used to hold a sort of black pleasure for Draco. He used to fantasize about being nothing at all instead of being his father's master's heir. He used to fantasize before that was knocked clean out of him along with most of the other things that made him human. The will to die, he came to believe, was as much a facet of humanity as the will to live. Having only the resignation to exist separated Draco from the rest of the universe and made his load easier to bear. Now, sitting before the tortured and irate creature that was nothing to him merely an hour prior, Draco's will was coming back to him.

Less than three feet away, Seamus watched the changes that occurred within Draco's mind manifest in his body. He watched his facial expression alter from mockery to concern to utter confusion. He watched his lower lip begin to tremble in a painfully childish fashion while his hands lay open on his lap. The nothing that was in his eyes had transformed into something akin to wonderment. He may not have known it, but Seamus was watching the first brick being laid in the reconstruction of Draco Malfoy.

*****

So what do you think? Is it adequate? It will have more promise later on, I just wanted to get this posted before I decided it was crap and threw it away. Review! Cheers!


	2. Nothing Is Impossible

Nothing Is Impossible

Disclaimer: These lovely creatures belong to J.K.R. (as though you didn't know). The plot's mine. Mwaaa haaa haaaa.

Warning: this will be a slash story, hopefully by the next chapter. For the blissfully ignorant, slash means that there is arelationship between two (or sometimes more) members of the same sex. In this case it happens to be Seamus and Draco. Should this sort of thing squick you, please go elsewhere.

Now, on with the show!

Nothing Is Impossible

The rivalry between Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy had become almost legendary at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The two never passed up an opportunity to make an ass of the other, and these incidences were –more often than not- witnessed by the entire staff and student body. Perhaps this is why it came as such a shock when Draco lost all interest in Harry not long after they began their seventh year.

Whatever had occurred between Seamus and Draco during their detention, no one exactly knew. What everyone _did_ know was that when they came out of it, they were not the same people they were when they entered it. Draco presented an extremely noticeable change. He had become silent, speaking only to teachers, and even then only when he was addressed. He still walked the way he used to walk and dressed the way he used to dress and ate the way he used to eat. He used to throw insults at any and everyone he could, especially Harry Potter and his two best friends. Now, not even Harry could elicit so much as a smirk from the now passive Slytherin. He drifted along, always dazed. His eyes, previously only glazed and gray, were now almost silver and held something like to innocence; he was as though he were seeing the world for the first time.

Seamus' reaction had been a bit more severe. He had taken to the same silence Draco had. He walked and dressed the same as always. But, unlike Draco, he refused to take so much as a singular morsel of food into his body. He slept almost excessively, whenever there was time for it. He'd even stopped talking to Dean; he'd fallen into a world where he was all alone surrounded by the ghosts of his past. Dean was worried beyond all belief, but he knew better than to press the matter. At least, not right away.

Both boys had their own justifications for behaving the way they did, though most of those justifications boiled down to the same thing. Lots of words were said in a very short period of time that night. Harsh words that carried a lot of weight and rang true for both parties, bringing skeletons out of closets and re-opening old wounds. Those cold words spoken to him brought Seamus' past to the forefront of his mind. Never having fully dealt with his father's death made Seamus rather fragile. No one had ever spoken to him of his father at all, and he had never spoken to anyone about him. Though he would have loved to have been able to deny it, there was no way Draco's words could not have hurt him. Just the pain of the memory alone was enough to make him cringe, and in combination with Draco's mocking words it was almost more than he could handle.

Seamus had been an odd sort of blessing for Draco. He'd said the right words in the correct sequence, breaking a hole in Draco's emotional wall. Then it had snowballed from there, gaining momentum as the days wore on until all that was left of it was nothing more than a heap of rubble. Draco was looking at the world in perspectives he never even knew existed before. Everyday pleasures that everyone around him seemed to take for granted gave him a kind of very soft joy and made him feel lucky to be living life. People he used to see as nothing at all now had names and faces as important and pretty as his own. His father had taught him that being a Malfoy made him better than everyone else. Now he knew that 'Malfoy' meant as much to the world as 'Potter' or 'Weasley' or… 'Finnegan'.

Although he wasn't aware of it, Draco started keeping tabs on Seamus. He watched him at every meal (those he chose to attend) and in every class and any other time that he could. Second only to Dean, Draco knew Seamus better that anyone. He noticed that he was not eating and losing too much weight. He didn't have much meat on him anyway, let alone meat to spare.

It was at dinner one night several long weeks later that Draco finally put his foot down. After poking at the food that Dean had put on his plate for nearly twenty minutes, Seamus stood to leave. Draco, though he wasn't all that sure why, stood as well. He cut the sick and tired creature the Gryffindor had become off at the exit.

"Move, Malfoy," he whispered wearily.

"All right." And he grabbed the other boy by the hand and led him back to the Gryffindor table. Seamus tried struggling to get away but in his weakened condition he was simply no match for Draco at his full strength. After sitting Seamus next to his best friend, he took an empty seat right next to him. "Eat," he commanded, though he kept his tone extremely gentle.

"No." He tried standing, but both Dean and Draco pulled him back down.

"He's right, Seamus, you need to eat something," Dean offered, much to the shock and glee of Draco.

"_He is a piece of shit," he said coldly with a glare to match his tone._

"Exactly, so why starve yourself because of what a piece of shit like me says?" Draco cheerfully pointed out, causing Dean to grin madly.

"You know, Malfoy, that's probably the most true thing I have ever heard come out of your mouth," Seamus replied, the weariness creeping back into his voice. "But really, I'm not hungry," he added, once again attempting to stand. Once again Dean and Draco's combined efforts forced him back into his seat.

"Look, Seamus, I'm sorry for all the wretched things I said to you and if I could, I would take it all back."

"But you can't," he interrupted.

"No, I can't. And I wouldn't insult your intelligence by thinking I could. But now you're taking this way too far."

All of a sudden, Seamus' brow furrowed though his eyes never wavered from those gray ones less than a foot away from his own. "Did you just call me Seamus?"

Blushing, Draco coolly replied, "Yes, I did. Would you rather I not?"

He just sighed. "I suppose it doesn't really matter, does it?"

"I don't know. It matters to me, I guess."

"And since when did you give a damn at all about me?"

Without even stopping to think about it, Draco told him, "Since you told me I was a heartless git. In so many words. **pauses** I guess you just… opened my eyes."

Several very long and very silent moments passedthroughout nearly everyone in the entire Hall. They were, in a sense, seeing each other for the first time. Though neither could have articulated exactly what it was that passed between them, they had come to some sort of peace with each other. Around them the dining hall had gone completely silent. Every face was turned to the Gryffindor table as though waiting for some kind of bomb to explode. In truth, the bomb already had gone off, six weeks prior. For the first time in over a month, both Draco and Seamus had broken their silence.

In little more than a whisper Draco once again began pleading with the near skeletal boy across from him. "Please eat, Seamus. Even just a little."

He nodded softly as he cast his eyes down. "It's just hard, you know, when all you can see in your head is people dying. Kinda makes one lose their appetite."

"I am so sorry I said that shit to you."

For another moment they stared at each other, neither really sure of what to say. Finally Seamus broke the silence. "Are you really?" It wasn't a challenge so much as it was Draco's last chance to prove himself an asshole.

"More so than you will ever know," he replied solemnly, standing up.

Seamus turned back to the plate that Dean had made up for him nearly an hour ago. He looked up and watched Draco walk away. When he'd reached the door, he turned around and gave Seamus a very warm, very genuine smile. Much to his own surprise, Seamus found himself returning it. Then he was gone.

Behind Seamus' back, Dean grinned. "What the hell did you say to him, anyway? I think you're the only person ever to get an apology out of that stupid git." At that he smiled almost fondly at the doorway the boy in question just disappeared through. "I think today is going to go down in history as The Day A Malfoy Admitted Fault."

"Maybe he's not such a _stupid git," Seamus whispered, totally missing Dean's expression and starting to eat for the first time in a very long time._

"Wait up!"

Draco turned to see Seamus running up to him. It had been nearly a week since he'd made his Grand Apology to the boy and had given up on ever talking to him again. The Gryffindor had continued to keep to himself for the last few days. He had taken Seamus' aversion to him in stride, though it hurt him to do so. Since forcing him into eating, Draco had found himself longing to speak to the skinny kid who was now running up to meet him. His heart started pounding and adrenaline was entering his bloodstream. 'Amazing,' he thought, 'that he does this to me and I don't even know him.'

Seamus stopped just a few feet in front of Draco's blushing person. "Hiya!" he said rather awkwardly, blushing crimson himself. "Um… yeah, hi."

He could hardly breathe. His lungs and vocal cords seemed to have shut down, failing him when he needed them most. The adrenaline pumping through him was threatening to replace his blood. 'Does he know how fucking gorgeous he is?' he caught himself thinking. After standing there staring for a moment that felt like eternity he managed to muster a weak, "Hi."

Nervously, Seamus ran a hand through his red-gold hair, making Draco inaudibly gasp. "So… uh… So how's it going, then?"

"Fine, thanks. And you?"

"Actually, I wanted to thank you for… you know… showing some initiative…" he stopped. Smacking his forehead with his hand, he muttered, "Shut _up, Seamus." As though he just realized where he was and who he was with, he paled considerably. "I'm sorry, I don't know what the hell is wrong with me."_

Relieved beyond relief, Draco laughed. "'S all right. I seem to have lost control of… my… um…"

"Reasoning? Ability to speak correctly?" Seamus replied, grinning. "Yeah, me too."

They paused as a couple of first year Ravenclaws passed them. They had witnessed the momentous event in the dining hall earlier in the week and seemed to not be able to get enough of the boys who were trying rather hard to carry a conversation. They took it upon themselves to stand there and gape for a moment until the mutual looks of get-the-hell-out-of-here-if-you-value-your-lives forced them on their way.

"Hmm, that was a bit awkward, wasn't it?" Seamus said, watching the girls turn the corner.

"Which part?" Draco breathed as he leaned against the wall. He was having an exceptionally difficult time keeping his composure with the way his companion was driving him absolutely mad with desire.

"Well, now that you mention it, I guess the last ten minutes _have been kinda awkward, haven't they?" He was shifting his weight from one leg to the other while he became utterly fascinated with his feet. He looked up with a completely horrified expression on his face. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean that quite the way it sounded."_

Laughing, "Will you get over it, already? You're fine," seemed to put the other at ease. A wonderfully confused look crossed Draco's face. "Hmm. Was that a bad choice of words?"

Now it was Seamus' turn to laugh. "That depends on how you meant it, I suppose. Though I really wouldn't be offended if you meant it… like… that." Once again, he blushed so brightly red it put even Ron's hair to shame. "_Shut__up, Seamus."_

Heart skipping a beat, Draco was overtaken by hope. An extremely suggestive grin graced his angular face. "And if I did mean it like that?" This time it was Seamus who silently gasped. Then he cracked a grin.

"Oi!" Dean's voice carried through the otherwise deserted hallway, grabbing the attention not only of his best friend, but Draco as well. He closed the distance between himself and the boys a few meters ahead. Once he realized that the boys he was running up to were having a 'moment' his characteristic, shit-eating grin cracked his face. "Hiya, Seamus. Malfoy. How goes it today?" he greeted them almost overzealously.

Completely incapable of keeping a straight face or even being bothered by the interruption, Draco returned the smile and replied, just as jovially, "Peachy, Thomas. And yourself?"

Face morphing from embarrassment to shock, Seamus stood there watching these never-before friends converse as though it were the most normal thing in all the world. Simply refusing to acknowledge his friend's discomfort, Dean continued on. "Wonderful, thank you. Lovely weather we're having, don't you think?"

"Actually, I try not to do that too often."

"What? Think? Now you're starting to sound like Seamus."

"I do have a tendency to rub off on people like that, don't I?" he forced his way into the innocuous conversation, desperately trying to move it along.

"Last I checked, you do more rubbing _up than-" Dean started._

"That's quite enough out of you!"

With that Draco dissolved into a fit of laughter. Doubling up, he clutched at his stomach and drawing the attention of his companions. It took a moment for him to collect himself and catch his breath before saying, "You two are… so cute." And again he went into peals of laughter. "S-sorry… I can't… help it."

"You know, I think there may be something seriously wrong with him," Dean feigned concern for the hysterical Slytherin.

"Must be a birth defect," Seamus replied, grinning. That comment did absolutely nothing to quell Draco's giggles, sending him right back into hysterics. "Come on, love, lets get you somewhere safe." So he and Dean lead the still giggling little blonde down to lunch.

**

"Impossible!" Hermione exclaimed when she saw the rather peculiar little trio enter the dining hall. Draco Malfoy had each of his arms around Dean and Seamus. They were looking as though things had never been any different for them, like they'd all been best friends since they'd arrived at Hogwarts for their first year of school. While this was true of the latter two, Malfoy had never had anything to do with either of them at all ever. Well, not until about a month and a half ago when Seamus had said something to Draco to make him totally revaluate his entire lifestyle. At least, that's what the rumours said. Not that Hermione really paid all that much attention to rumours, but when neither Seamus nor Dean would say a word to anyone, that's pretty much all one could listen to. It seemed plausible enough… But Malfoy on the arms of said Gryffindors? This was almost too much for her to believe.

Very little of what Seamus Finnegan did surprised anyone who knew him in any remote way, shape, or form. The novelty of the drama between him and Draco Malfoy had worn off a bit ago, excepting that eventful dinner earlier in the week. Still, it did strike Hermione –along with a great many others- as odd when all three of them sat at a few of the vacant seats near the end of the Gryffindor table and began eating lunch as though it were the most normal thing in the world. 'Well, what does it really matter, anyway?' she started asking herself. 'Who says it's not normal?' 'Only anyone who's ever even so much as laid eyes on that ferret, Malfoy.'

Then there was the fact that he had been giving her, Harry, and Ron an inordinate amount of space. Not to say that he had been kind to them, not by far. But he did stop teasing them and really just started ignoring them altogether. Not that he was being particularly rude, though. From all that Hermione had absorbed through her powers of observation, it would have appeared that he had actually become a human being. Who knew? Maybe he might even turn out to be a _decent person, at that._

The way he behaved was just too natural for it all to be a ploy. Not even Draco Malfoy would condescend to sit with Gryffindors even if it meant that he would inherit the Earth afterwards. And why, of all people, would he choose Dean and Seamus to play with if it weren't genuine? They had very little to offer the world in terms of incriminating information for the Dark side. Assuming, of course, that Draco would do such a thing as act as a spy for anyone. Really, he didn't have it in him to keep his mouth shut about things he really should keep his mouth shut about. Hell, he's even alluded to his own father practicing Dark Magick, for god's sake, if not outright admitted it. 'This is all just speculation, you know,' Hermione reminded herself for what was probably the three hundred thousandth time in the last five minutes.

"You know, I thought that _was impossible," Neville gestured at the party at the end of the table._

"Neville, my dear, _nothing is impossible." Ginny was staring in that direction as well, looking a bit peaked as she did so. "As this just goes to show."_

This chapter is much better than the last, I think. Do you? What worked? What didn't? God, now I sound all needy. **sniffles** And I am. But anyhow…. Yeah, thanks to kirpu for the lovely review. I promise this is getting direction. Shock, I know, rub it in. Uh, yeah. Lots of luv and hugs and kisses. Cheers!


	3. A Newfound Aestheticist Confronts Old Re...

Disclaimer: I don't own these lovely creatures, JKR does

Disclaimer: I don't own these lovely creatures, JKR does.

Warning: We're finally getting to a bit more slashy material, meaning that there is some obvious relationship shite happening between two boys. If you don't sway this way or are disturbed by it for whatever reason, you may leave.

Note: Please don't send me a bunch of hateful shit if you find that I have made some words up (and here I am largely referring to the title of this chapter) I have a tendency to do this. That said, on with the show!

A Newfound Aestheticist Confronts Old Realities

Over the months following his abrupt change of heart, Draco Malfoy had continued to gain personality and also became very close with Deanandseamus. He was rarely seen out of the company of the two Gryffindors, and almost never seen out of the company of Seamus, excepting classes. It was becoming increasingly evident that Draco was more than just a good friend, given the number of times they had been caught snogging in places they really shouldn't have been in the first place. Not that either of them were ever bothered by it. Draco, as he had gradually discovered, was a seriously hopeless romantic, thus enjoying the thrill of being discovered. He found it charming, the reactions they got. Dean thought them to be extremely amusing; he never thought Seamus would ever find another Seamus to compliment him so perfectly.

For the first time in his entire life, Draco was truly surrounded by people. One might say that he had lived the majority of his life overcoming one obstacle after another. Meaning that people were no more to him than obstacles. He was taught to always be aware of others' emotions but never to become sensitive to them. Everyone around him suddenly had a name and a face and a voice and a soul. Never did he realize how very vibrant and expressive people could be. This was partially a cause for his period of silence. He was so thrown by the sheer intensity of life itself that it seemed too beautiful for him to articulate, so he didn't even try. And it was the best thing he had ever done for himself. At long last, he understood humility.

Love was another of those emotions that had been trampled before it even had a chance to grow. Sure, he had had his share of lovers. But he'd never felt a single thing for any of them. None of them had names or even faces. Having Seamus was nothing like any of that. Not only did he have a face and a name, he had a heart and a soul as well. He'd fallen in love with everything that was Seamus; never had he ever known such a gorgeously peculiar creature as the one who was constantly at his side. Incapable for so long of actually having such feelings allowed to roam through his mind for indefinite periods of time, he finally understood concern for another. *His* other. Perhaps he had fallen too hard, too soon, some said later. Really, the case happened to be that he had just fallen very, very deep.

With the rapid approach of graduation, most students were talking of what they would be doing after they left the confines of school. Draco had not given post-Hogwarts life much consideration; he had been living day to day and taking what came to him all in stride. Now the realization that he would have to start thinking about his future was running at him full-force. Merely enjoying all the beautiful things around him, Draco never once considered that he would actually have to live for himself in a few short weeks. Whilst walking around the lake with Seamus one bright Saturday afternoon, Draco finally took it upon himself to discuss this with his lover.

"What are you going to do when you leave here?" he asked rather suddenly.

The other boy fell silent for a moment before responding. "Probably get a job and help my mum out. Why? What are you going to do?"

"I haven't the slightest idea." He lapsed into silence for a moment before continuing. "I can't go home. I don't want to go home." His voice cracked and he stopped, looking down at the ground.

"What's the matter, love?" Seamus cooed.

"I'm afraid of what he's going to do to me when I go home," he spoke in little more than a whisper as though he was ashamed of admitting his apprehension.

"Who?" The Gryffindor's voice had taken a harder edge to it.

"My father." He stopped and looked up at his lover's clouded face. "He's going to kill me when I tell him I don't want to be what he wants me to be."

"And what is it that he wants you to be?"

"He wants me to join Voldemort, you know." At that point tears started filling his silver eyes. "I can't do that, Seamus, I just can't. I'm not like that; I can't stomach the idea of becoming my father. Hell, I was already almost there before you knocked some sense into me."

"Draco?"

"Hmm?"

"How did I knock sense into you? I mean, why did it get to you? What did I say?" These were questions he had been dying to ask, but refrained because he didn't want to appear to be ignorant of the other's feelings.

Smiling, the petite blonde replied, "You know, that's a very good question. I've been wanting to tell you about it, but I'm still not quite sure how."

"If you don't…"

"I do," he interrupted. "I think I owe you a bit of an explanation. *deepbreath* It's very difficult for me to explain what it was like to grow up being a Malfoy. When I was a very small child, my father told me I was special. He said that I had been chosen to take his place at the Dark Lord's side when he died. I was lucky, he said, to have been given such an honour," he spat, his voice dripping with sarcasm and disgust. "He made all of my decisions for me so that I forgot how to make my own decisions. I forgot what it was like to have free will. It got to the point that I didn't even know I ever had the choice to be my own person because he made sure to beat that part of me into the dirt. Basically, he had turned me into himself. It was like he took my soul, you know? And then when you told me about… what happened to you when you were growing up, it just… struck a chord in me, I guess. I guess I never knew that someone could be so affected by one event. I never really realized that a person could be so affected, period. No one ever told me anything with such intense emotion behind it like you did. No one ever fought back when I said things I shouldn't have said. At least, not like you did. Most everyone else either just cursed me or hit me. But you… you explained what it means to have a soul, I guess. Does that make any sense?"

Seamus stood silent for a moment before responding. "Yes, it makes perfect sense," he whispered, his brow furrowing into an expression of confusion. "I just can't believe that someone would actually raise their child like that…." He trailed off.

"Yes, well, when you've got a set of ideals that means nothing more than 'keep the family name popular and powerful' you tend to do warped things to make sure it happens. Frankly, I could give a fuck whether or not I keep the family name popular or powerful. All I really want is to be able to go anywhere with anyone and do anything without having to worry about the consequences for shaming someone else's ideal lifestyle," he sighed. "And I really thought that I could, with you, but I wonder if that's even possible anymore."

"With me?" the Irish boy asked, blushing. "You… you really think of me like that?"

Draco laughed. "Of course I think of you like that. How could I not? You're the best thing that has ever happened to me."

"Oh, Draco, I- I don't know what to say…" Seamus trailed off, grinning.

As he laced his fingers with his lovers' Draco pulled him closer and said, "I love you, Seamus. Without you… I'm nothing."

**

While drifting back to the Slytherin common room and his dorm, Draco was stopped by Professor Snape. "Dumbledore wants to see you in his office."

The Slytherin's expression darkened. "What about?"

A rare smile gracing his gaunt features, Snape replied, "I don't honestly know, but I can assure you that you're not in trouble."

Snape led his student to the gargoyle and, after giving the password, disappeared down the corridor. Draco ascended the stairs to the main of the Headmaster's office, wondering all the while what he was wanted for. N.E.W.T.s had been taken a week earlier. Perhaps this had something to do with his test results. But then why would he be called to see the Headmaster himself? 'Probably failed,' he thought.

He knocked softly on the door to the office itself, immediately hearing, "Come in, please." He entered the office to find Dumbledore seated behind his desk, a few sheets of parchment in front of him. A warm smile cracked his wrinkled face when he saw who had come to see him. "Ah, Mr. Malfoy, lovely to see you. Please have a seat," he gestured to one of the chairs on the opposite side of the desk from which he was seated. After Draco had settled himself, Dumbledore continued. "You may relax, I promise you are not here to be punished for anything."

Visibly relieved, the small Slytherin said, "Thank you, Sir."

"Nonsense. Now, before I get off on another train of thought, I would like to discuss with you the results of your N.E.W.T.s."

"I failed, didn't I?" he groaned.

At that, the headmaster had quite a laugh. "Not by far, not by far. You have scored higher than anyone else in your year on the Defence portion of the tests." Draco sat up straight, his attention grabbed by the throat. "You have, actually, earned one of the highest scores that I have ever seen."

Clearly taken aback, Draco sat stunned for a moment. "What does this mean, then, if you don't mind, Sir?"

"Before I get to that, I would like to know what your plans are for after you graduate."

"Actually…" he began to fidget. "I don't exactly have any concrete plans…" Dumbledore's smile broadened. "More like, concepts, really…"

"And those would be?"

"Where to go…" he trailed off.

"You're not planning on going home, then?" Dumbledore asked with mock surprise.

"Er… no, I wasn't."

"I see. Do you have any idea where you might want to go?"

"Not the slightest," he sighed. Regaining eye contact with his aged companion, Draco became very apprehensive. He was feeling extremely guilty for not at least making an effort to plan his future out.

"In that case, I think I've got a proposition for you."

"Oh?" His curiosity was piqued.

"With the proper training, of course, I think you would make an excellent addition to the staff here as next year's Defence Against the Dark Arts professor." Draco was stunned. "I know it's a bit short notice, but what do you think?"

He sat silent for a moment to collect his thoughts. "Well, Sir, I'm flattered to say the least, but what about Professor Rodian?"

"She will be leaving at the end of this year in favour of other opportunities," Dumbledore explained. "As I am quite sure you will need to think this through, I do not expect an immediate answer. Please give my offer consideration. There are few others I would offer such a position to."

"Not to sound ungrateful, but why me?" He was rather confused. "All I mean is that there have got to be more qualified people than me who've already applied."

"Very true, very true. However, Draco, over the course of this last school year you have made a very obvious transformation of spirit that leads me to believe that, were I to place my trust in you, you would become an invaluable asset here. I do not know what brought about this change in you, nor do I care to know. Some things are better left unsaid. But who you are now is exactly the kind of person I would be honoured to have fighting on my side," he said rather fondly. "Not to mention that you've got a stronger knowledge base than all of the applicants combined."

Incapable of stifling a grin and blushing at the same time, Draco found his voice. "Thank you, Sir. This really means a lot to me."

As if on cue, both rose from their seats. Dumbledore went to the other side of the desk and extended his hand. "I shall be expecting you to inform me of your decision within the next week."

"Of course! And thank you again. Really…" Draco was still shaking the headmaster's hand.

Removing his hand from that of his prodigy, Dumbledore laid it on his shoulder and led the way to the door. "Nonsense. But do get on your way, enjoy the weather while it lasts," he laughed.

"Sir, is it all right if I discuss this with Seamus? I mean, I'm sure you don't want me to-"

"Yes, I would naturally expect that of you. As far as anyone else is concerned, I would trust you to use your better judgment."

Grinning once more, "Thank you, Sir, thank you," was all he could muster before disappearing down the stairs.

Dumbledore smiled to himself, content in the knowledge that he had not misplaced his faith in the young Slytherin. Turning to the window that overlooked the Hogwarts grounds, he watched Draco literally run into Seamus, nearly knocking him down. Dean caught his best friend and righted him. The old man watched as Draco bounced around in excitement, followed not long after by his faithful companions. 'Yes,' he thought to himself, 'this is going to work out just fine.'

**

Several evenings later, Draco and Seamus were laying in the Gryffindor dorm when the former decided to voice his doubts concerning Dumbledore's offer. "Do you really think I could be a teacher?"

"Why not?" the half-asleep Gryffindor asked as he ran his fingers through the silken strands of his lover's hair.

"I don't know how to deal with kids," he replied, almost sounding panicked. "How am I supposed to teach kids that are my own age? They're not going to want to take me seriously."

"Sure they will. It's all in how you present yourself."

"So how would I present myself?"

"I don't know, love." Seamus was becoming increasingly exasperated. "You don't give yourself enough credit, is all. Just have some confidence in what you're doing, and you'll be able to do anything."

"You really think so?" There was a tinge of hope!

"That's what my grandmum always says. I haven't been able to prove her wrong yet, so that must mean it's true."

Draco couldn't stifle a giggle. How very like Seamus to use that sort of logic when trying to make him feel better. "All right, then," he said, jumping up.

"And where do you think you're going? I'm not quite done with you, yet."

"You're not?" Draco feigned being scandalized. His lover just grinned seductively and pulled him down, flipping him in the process so that said lover was now straddling him. "I thought you were asleep."

"Not me." A very deep kiss. "You'll do fine, love. You'll be the best Defence teacher Hogwarts has ever seen."

"You're sure you're not just saying that?" the pinned boy teased.

"Oh, shut up!"

"Make me."

Smiling fondly, Seamus told the boy beneath him, "I love it when you challenge me!" before attacking him with his lips.

**

On the Wednesday following his discussion with young Malfoy, Dumbledore entered his office as usual. As usual there were several Ministry owls waiting outside the window in addition to a very pretty eagle owl. After sending the Ministry owls on their way, he turned his attention to the odd arrival. The owl dutifully stuck its leg out for the parchment to be detached. Immediately, it flew off. Dumbledore unrolled the parchment to find the violet script of Draco Malfoy. It was a very simple message scrawled in the centre of the page:

**_When do I start training?_**

**_ _**

Not one of my better pieces, but I've been having a hard time being articulate. The next instalment will be better, I promise.

Thank you for all the lovely feedback, I have greatly appreciated it. Sprinkles of euphoria: thanks for the hint. I'll try harder next time; another rowan: wow! I'm chuffed, really! No one's ever said they like my writing style before. **blushes** thanks!; Gwen, you really are too sweet to me. I'll try and get UM updated soon, just for you. Kisses!; blackskye, this is totally for you, you made my world, you know. I'm wicked cool! Oh, that's just- WOW! Thank you so much, love, you flatter me more than is good for me. I do hope you will find this instalment up to par. And, of course, thanks to Rubicon for being my beta, without whom this chapter would suck worse than it already does. Thanks again, lovies! Cheers!


	4. Falling Into Place

Disclaimer: These lovely creatures belong only to JKR

Disclaimer: These lovely creatures belong only to JKR. Except for Seamus' family. I own them. But I promise I'm not making any money off of them. I'm not that sort.

Warning: This contains some male/male interaction. If this sort of thing squicks you, please go elsewhere. I already know I'm sick and twisted; you needn't tell me.

Rating: I'll go with R this time, there is some sex here. I know, I know. Finally!

A/N: I fear I may have been a bit long winded here, but what can I say? I was on a roll. I would like to dedicate this chapter to my little Slytherin hottie, Rubicon, who is always and forever my muse. Like the title suggests, this is Seamus and Draco falling into life with each other. It's really just setting the scene for the following chapters, which I promise will come quicker than this one did. This one really liked playing with itself, as I am sure you will notice. Anywho, on with the show!

Falling Into Place

31 August found Draco in a right state of utter distress. He had spent the previous two months preparing for his stint as Defence Against the Dark Arts professor. He'd learned how to design a curriculum for all seven years, homework, and tests, how to assign and grade assignments, and preparing his classroom. For all intents and purposes, he was ready for his first day teaching. Excepting, of course, the fact that he still couldn't grasp being in such a position of authority over his former fellow students. He'd spent the majority of the evening pacing around the apartments that Dumbledore had provided for himself and Seamus, and was driving the latter very close to the brink of madness.

"You'll do fine, Draco," Seamus said for what was probably the three hundred thousandth time that day. "Please stop pacing."

"Easy for you to say. _You've not got to stand in front of a classroom all day and lecture when you've never-"_

"DRACO!" Seamus finally yelled, causing his partner to stop dead. "Love, stop it this instant. I can't stand to see you like this; you're absolutely unbearable." He pulled his stressed out lover on to the sofa with him. "I will not stand for any more of this nonsensical panic. There is absolutely no reason for it. Just be glad that you know what you're doing and that these people already know you."

"Which is exactly why I'm such a bloody nervous wreck. I went to school with them and now I'm supposed to teach them? I- I-"

"Am going to blow them all away. Now stop all this fussing. You don't even technically start tomorrow, anyway."

"No, tomorrow they'll all come back and see me sitting at the damn staff table…"

"And just why are you so concerned with what a bunch of undergraduate witches and wizards think? You are to teach them, Draco, and if there was any doubt about your ability to do so, I am more than certain that Dumbledore would not have put you in such a position."

"Yes, you're right," he sighed.

"Of course I'm right," the little Irish wizard replied with a grin.

Draco couldn't help but smile as he relaxed into the safety of his lover's arms. "I'm sorry I've been so-"

"Will you shut up already!" Seamus exclaimed, laughing.

"It's perfectly natural, you know, to be nervous before starting a job," the petite blonde tried to rationalize. "Besides, you were pretty touchy before you started at Gringotts."

"Now that is no basis for comparison! I never worked myself into a state of absolute panic before I went to work," he spoke defensively.

"No, you sat in the bathtub for three and a half hours trying to figure out what you were going to do when they fired you for 'being a stupid prat', as you put it." At that Seamus blushed, but Draco proceeded unscathed. "And you are the best in your division, now, aren't you?"

"Not the _best…" he trailed off._

"And I suppose that you got a promotion after a month just by completely random chance, then." His voice dripped with sarcasm.

"All right, so I'm absolutely smashing in my element. Just like you are in yours," Seamus finished triumphantly.

Draco sat sceptical for a moment before it finally sunk in that what his lover was telling him was true. "Fine." He tried to put on his best I-can't-believe-you-won't-let-me-be-right face, but all it got him was laughed at.

**

"All set?"

Draco looked up from the lesson plan he had been studying to find Snape standing in the doorway. Instead of his usual scowl, he wore an almost warm smile. (Snape had been informed that Draco had taken the Defence job just before Dumbledore told him that he was too valuable as Potions Master to place in any other position. His ego was satisfied, so he had chosen to welcome Draco with open arms.) He relaxed a bit and replied, "Yes, I should think so."

"What's your first class?"

"Ummm," he searched for the schedule. "Ah, first year Ravenclaw and Gryffindor."

Snape looked down at his watch. "They should be here any minute. Good luck."

"Thank you, Sir."

"You can call me Severus, now, Draco," he said before disappearing out the door.

"Well," Draco muttered to himself. "Never expected to be on a first name basis with _him. Never in a million years."_

The sound of footfalls in the hallway forced him back to his plans. Within five minutes the classroom was full of curious eleven year olds. All twenty faces were trained on their teacher as he stood and moved around to the other side of his desk. Draco smiled at them and they seemed to relax. "Hello there, everyone." He sat on the desk as he began to memorize the names of the students before him. "Well, it looks like everyone is here. Lets get started then, shall we? You are here to learn how to defend yourselves against all manners of curses, creatures, and anything else that doesn't fall into one of those categories. I must demand all of your attention, Miss Talbot, as we are living in such times that require defence at every turn. We will be starting off with poisonous plants, so please turn to page 149 of _Magick and Medicine of Plants."_

There was shuffling of bags as each student brought out their book, parchment, and quill. A rather burly Gryffindor raised her hand. "Yes, Miss Talbot?"

"Isn't Herbology where we learn about plants?" she asked with a snotty tone.

Without skipping a beat Draco replied, "Yes, in Herbology you learn how to grow and care for plants. I'm afraid that you don't get too deeply into the properties of the plants, though. The first we will be discussing is nightshade. There are several kinds of nightshade that you'll want to avoid. Deadly nightshade is also called Belladonna. It does have many magickal uses and is also used in some medicines-"

"If it's a medicine why do we have to defend ourselves against it?" Talbot interrupted.

"Because only those who are trained in medicine and potion making know what parts of the plant to use and the correct amounts. It's not as though one can just eat the plant and feel better. It can be fatal in excessive doses. Now please don't interrupt me again; I will be sure to answer whatever question you'd like to ask as long as you refrain from being rude."

"Sorry, Sir," she muttered, turning red.

"It's all right. Anything else before we continue?" Draco was fighting to keep from laughing.

"No, Sir."

"All right, then."

The rest of class went rather uneventfully, with only a few more interruptions from the Gryffindor, Dana Talbot. The sixth year Ravenclaw/Slytherin class went by without a hitch as well. They received him rather graciously, much to his surprise. All he had left was the planning period after lunch and the seventh year Gryffindor/Hufflepuff class.

As soon as each student crossed the threshold, they silenced. Draco began to get very apprehensive. This was the class he had been dreading most of all. Well, second to the Slytherin/Ravenclaw seventh years that he would have two days later. By the time the entire class was assembled, the tension became almost impenetrable. "Hi, then. Ahm, I'm afraid I don't know everyone's name here so-"

"Oh, that's all right, Malfoy," some boy on the Gryffindor side of the room drawled in imitation of his teacher's former personality. "We don't expect you to know _our names."_

"Now, now, he deserves respect now that he's our teacher," a girl on the Hufflepuff side responded before bursting into laughter.

Adrenaline was pumping through Draco's veins. He could feel the panic rising in his chest, but he refused to give in before his class. "So I am going to take note right now."

"Yes well, better late than never, I suppose, eh?" Colin Creevy piped up, trying to get a point in for Draco. "Colin Creevy, Sir."

"Thanks, Colin."

"Suck up!" the Gryffindor yelled back.

"You know, Fairfield, you might as well get used to this. It's not like you can change it, so you might try and make the best of it," Colin replied coolly. "I for one would like to get the day done and over with, all right? It would go so much quicker if you would just shut your sodding trap. All right?"

No response came from the back of the room. Draco continued to take roll and when he was through he began to calm down considerably. "Okay, it looks like we're all here, so on with the lesson. This year will be spent largely on research and presentation. There's not going to be many practical lessons this year, I'm afraid, though there will be some." He cleared his throat, stifling the whispers in the back of the room. All eyes returned to him and he continued. "We will first be discussing the body chemistry of the vampire. Please open your books to page 372. Now, in order to successfully fight against such a creature, one must be aware of how the thing itself works." The Gryffindor boy turned to the girl next to him and continued his conversation. "I am dreadfully sorry you're not interested in this, Mr. Fairfield, but I will not have you distracting the others who are here to learn something. Please keep your comments to yourself."

"Or what?" he asked, picking at his fingernails.

Completely taken aback, Draco just stared at the boy. He couldn't believe that one of his students would be so incredibly rude to him. He could feel the heat surrounding his eyes, but he fought it off with all his might. "I really would rather we not start out this way," he said with a cold note to his voice. "What is it that you want from me?"

"I want you to go back where you came from, you filthy, Death Eating scum." The boy was leaning over his desk, his eyes narrowed to little more than slits.

The rest of the class was silent, as though afraid to even breathe. All eyes went from the boy to Draco and back again. For a moment their teacher stood staring at the boy with a blank expression. "Well," Draco started, going round to other side of his desk and sitting down. "If that's the way you feel about it." He began writing something and after a moment stood up again. "Please come with me, Sir." The boy gathered his things and stood. "I will be back momentarily, and I apologize for the disruption," Draco apologized to the remainder of his class, leading the fuming Gryffindor out of the room.

"What is all this about?" the boy asked, snorting in disdain. Draco handed him the parchment. "Detention?!" he shouted. "You're giving me detention?"

"Very astute observation. You will spend the rest of this class period in the library, researching vampires. Unless you feel that you're adult enough to keep your comments to yourself for the next forty five minutes."

"It's got nothing to do with being adult, _Sir," he stated, his voice dripping with sarcasm at that last word. "I just can't stomach the fact that Dumbledore let such slime be in such contact with students."_

"All right, then. I shall see you in forty five minutes," he finished, leaving the fuming boy outside. He stood there for a moment before heading off for the library.

Once inside the confines of the classroom, Draco was once again taken in by apprehension. "Does anyone else share Fairfield's attitude?" He was answered with silence. "Wonderful! Where were we? Ah, yes. All right, can anyone tell me how vampires first came into existence?"

Forty minutes later Draco was standing outside his office door, waiting for Fairfield. He appeared moments later, looking rather blank, and they went into the dimly lit office. Draco sat at the desk and gestured for the boy to take a seat on the other side. Once both were settled, there were a few moments of silence.

"So, how do you propose we solve this conflict of…. Er… personality?" Draco inquired calmly. The boy sat silent, sizing up his teacher. "I am not resigning, you know." It was merely a statement, but this only seemed to anger the boy further. He sat, silent and fuming. "I'm sorry if I've wronged you and just don't remember it. May I ask where this is all coming from?"

"I know about your father, Malfoy. And I know that you're here on his business," he said through clenched teeth.

Tears threatened to fill Draco's eyes once again, and once again he fought them off. "I am not my father, I promise you. And you are quite wrong about where my loyalties lie. I can assure you that I am supplying no one with any information, and it is none of your concern where I came from. I apologize if something I have said or done offended you. But I will not stand for nonsensical accusations. Now, you are going to tell me what you propose we do about your obvious dislike for me," he ground out, a cold, hard edge to his voice.

"Are you suggesting I've got options?" the boy asked sarcastically.

"Your options are limited. You will not be welcome in my classroom if this is the attitude you feel you need to maintain. You will spend your time in the library doing all the same projects as your fellow students. Keep in mind that if that is what you choose to do, you will be missing out on class discussions and practical lessons."

"Oh, that would be a shame."

"You will of course have reduced marks, you know," Draco replied coolly.

"You can't do that!" he exclaimed.

"I can do as I see fit, sir. If you like, we can take this to the Headmaster. Though I would much prefer if we could work this out between the two of us." At that point, Draco checked his watch. "I've got other matters to attend at the moment, so I'm assigning your detention right now. You will meet me here at eight o'clock this evening. You needn't bring anything with you except for your self and your _Advanced Defence book," he finished, standing. He held the door open for the boy and locked it after he was out, and they went their separate ways._

**

"Extrapolation? Sounds like some great sexual technique. Wanna try it?" Seamus exclaimed. He'd been reading over some parchments that Gringotts had sent him to work on. Draco was sitting at the same table he'd been sitting at since his discussion with the unruly Gryffindor earlier that afternoon. He didn't even look up at his lover's outburst. "_Draaacooo_," he whined. "Will you stop sulking? You're not very pretty like that, you know."

"Yeah, well-"

"'Yeah, well' nothing. You take everything too hard, you know. That was one bad kid out of how many? Sixty? Honestly, you're just being ridiculous," he said, pulling the sulking blonde out of the chair and into his arms. "Please, love?" He stuck his lower lip out in a pout he knew the other couldn't refuse.

"All right already," Draco laughed. "You're such an insufferable git, you know that?"

"Spoiled prat."

"Wanker."

"How'd you know? You watch me, don't you!?! You've got some weird third eye or something, right!?"

"Not an eye, exactly," the former-Slytherin hottie said very suggestively. "What was that you were saying about straps?"

"And what time did you say you had that detention?"

Checking his watch, Draco groaned. "Damn time!" He grinned cheekily. "That's all right. Shan't take long, I promise."

"Well, if you should need me to rough the little beast up, I'll be right here," Seamus said almost proudly, puffing his chest out and eliciting a laugh from the other. He gave Draco a short kiss and led him to the portrait hole that served as the door. "Good luck, love."

Renewed by his lover's faith in him, Draco approached his office with a confidence that he was lacking earlier in the day. The Gryffindor boy was already there waiting for him. "Nice to see that you're punctual, at least. I appreciate that," he said cheerfully as he unlocked the door. Again, he held the door open for his student.

Instead of sitting at the desk, Draco led the boy to the chairs that sat in front of a crackling fire. It wasn't particularly cold, but it gave the room a nice light. "What's all this, then?" asked the boy.

"You know, I think that maybe we just started off on the wrong foot. Did I honestly do anything to you that I just can't remember?"

Fairfield was becoming increasingly nervous. "Admittedly, no," he spoke in little more than a whisper.

"Then why all the animosity? I mean, I'll be the first to admit what a mean-spirited individual I could be, but-"

"Since when the hell were you a decent human being?" the boy exclaimed, cutting the other off.

Draco laughed out loud. "Since about a year ago, actually. My goodness, it's been almost a year! Time sure does fly, you know." He was growing thoughtful, though the smile never left his face. "Amazing. The first six years I was here, time just crawled, you know?" He came back to Earth and looked at the startled boy across from him. "Is it the age thing? I mean, does it bother you that I'm only a year older than you are?"

"Yeah, it does, sort of," he said to the floor. Looking back up he spoke so softly that Draco had to lean closer to hear him. "You know when… when You-Know-Who… I didn't want to think that…. that I could be affected, you know? Or that anyone I knew could be affected." Draco nodded sagely. "My aunt was attacked by the Death Eaters two years ago. I heard that your dad was like the… the leader, you know?…. Sorry…. I guess… I guess I just took it too hard," he finished, returning his gaze to the floor.

"No," Draco whispered, "you didn't take it too hard. You really can't take such a thing too hard."

"I don't mean to like…. accuse you…."

"Got a funny way of showing it," Draco chuckled kindly. The boy looked up at him, a smile crossing his face.

"Yes, well, I'm kind of a funny person."

"Would you like to go over the lesson you missed?" the Defence teacher asked, tactfully changing the subject.

"Um, yeah, that would be great."

**

"Uhh… Seamus?" Draco called. The apartments were rather dark and very quiet. Draco always got nervous when Seamus was supposed to be home and it was quiet. It usually meant that he was doing something he didn't want to get caught doing. 'Last time it was the dead chickadee stuck to the ceiling. God only knows what spell he botched this time.' "Seamus?" A few candles lit as he passed and more lit up ahead of him. They were leading into the shared bedroom. 'Please, God, let this be something nice,' he prayed silently to himself. Round the corner to the bedroom, he could see light coming through the crack under the door. Apprehensively, he pushed the door open.

"Not as long as I expected you to be," Seamus said from his position at the end of the bed. He was leaning against one of the posts, twisting something in his fingers and grinning devilishly. "Gives me that much more time to tie you up."

Breathing was not on Draco's list of priorities, as it very suddenly ceased. "T-tie me up, eh?" he gasped.

"Are you going to object?"

"Only if you want me to."

Seamus shook his head as he approached. The thing he had been twisting in his fingers proved, upon closer inspection, to be a scarf. "Not tonight, love. Just encourage me."

"I don't think that will be a problem," he whispered into his lover's ear. The latter was quickly undressing them both. Draco didn't even realize when the scarf that Seamus had been twisting in his hands was tied, binding his hands together. Only when he tried to put his arms around the other's neck did he notice that he was restricted. "Should I start now?"

"Wait." ***kiss*** "I've not even started yet." Throwing the less muscular body of his lover onto the bed, Seamus quickly bound his tied hands to the headboard. "Just about… ***runs tongue along ribcage, earning a moan*** five more minutes."

"That's all?" Draco feigned disappointment.

The Irishman grinned. "I could tease you more, if you like." He stuck his tongue out, flicking it over the straining erection in front of him. Draco moaned, crying Seamus' name very softly. "Hmm…." He cocked his head to one side. "You _do_ need to be teased. You've got that look."

"What look?" Draco asked, scandalized.

"The lusty-beast look. It just _screams_ 'give it to me'. You get it a lot."

"Yes, well, you _do_ bring out that _beast_ in me."

"Mmm," he hummed around the fingers he was sucking on. "I've noticed," he finished, sounding innocent, although what he was doing with those fingers he'd been sucking on was anything but. "In fact, I've grown rather fond of it."

At that point, Draco was almost beyond words. He was staring at the black canopy that hung over the top of the bed, though he really wasn't seeing anything at all. All he seemed capable of was gasping 'Seamus' and 'please' and 'more' repeatedly. His hands were clenched into fists, his fingernails biting into the tender flesh of his palms. Blood trickled down his wrists as he stretched the little wounds into gashes. "God, Seamus…"

"God, aye? Never really fancied myself the all-powerful sort before. But then again ***flicks tongue over lover's nipple*** you do strange things to me."

"Oohhh….. you need to to to do stranger things than _thaaaat_…. Ooohhhh…… NOW!" Draco screamed.

Once he got his giggles under control, Seamus simply asked, "_How strange, love?" Twisting his hand elicited another scream from the writhing boy. "Stranger than that?"_

"MUCH STRANGER!" He tried to force Seamus further inside him, whimpering in frustration when it wasn't working. "Please… please… I _neeeed…" Whimpers of frustration turned to gasps of delight when he felt a tongue slide between the fingers that were scissoring him open. Screams tore from his throat when the fingers hooked and found that very sensitive spot deep inside him._

"Like that?"

"Uh-huh."

"Want more?"

"Uh-huh."

"You sure?"

"Dead… fucking… POSITIVE!"

"Hmm," came the insolent reply, "I don't believe you."

"You.." he trailed off. Tongue flicking nonchalantly across his head, he almost went over the edge. Almost. "_Please, Seamus, __please," he pleaded with his partner._

"Well." He pushed himself into the space his fingers just left. "You've convinced me." He began moving his hips very, very slowly. As he moved he untied the binding from the bed itself, then from Draco's hands. Draco scarcely noticed, he was in such a divine state of rapture. For the better part of an hour they remained like that, Draco occasionally crying his lover's name. He screamed one final scream then both collapsed, exhausted.

"You know," Draco panted when he found enough breath to speak, "I think that that made up for about a thousand shitty students, love."

Giggling, Seamus replied in the same insolent tone he'd used earlier, "That was the object, you know." He gave the other a very deep kiss. "You're quite a bright one. No wonder they made you a professor."

"Although, you're going to have to get stranger."

"How strange?"

Grinning in a scandalously seductive manner, "Wanna find out?" was the only response he offered.

Seamus raised an eyebrow. "Already?"

"What? Had enough, have you?"

"Enough of you? Surely you speak of the impossible!"

**

For what Seamus figured was probably the five millionth time that day, Draco checked his bag, making sure that he was together. They were going to spend Christmas with Seamus' family and both were in states of absolute and utter panic. In the two years they'd been together Seamus had never introduced Draco to his family. Draco's family was simply out of the question, so that cut down on the obligatory visits they both dreaded. Actually, dread would be too weak a word. Terror would be a more accurate description of the way they were feeling.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Seamus asked. "We don't have to do this, you know. We could just stay here and have a quiet holiday all to ourselves."

"No. There's no way you're copping out now. No. You've gotten me so sodding worked up about this, there's no fucking way we're not going!"

"But, _loooooove."_

"God, Seamus! Stop that. I'll do anything you like, just stop that dreadful whining."

"Does that mean we're staying?" Seamus was jumping about in excitement.

Unable to stifle a laugh, Draco told him in the firmest voice he could muster, "No, it doesn't mean we're staying. What are you so worried about, anyway? How bad could they really be?"

"Oh, god, don't say that. You've no idea how bad they are," he replied, paling.

"Why? You're always going on about what a cool old lady your grandmother is."

"Yes, but she's only one out of seven. You've never met my brothers, or my mother, or my nieces, or my sister-in-law."

"And at the rate we're going, I'm never going to, either."

"Can't we please stay?"

"You already told them we'd be there, Seamus. And just think of the look on your poor, old granny's face when she finds out that her favourite grandson has ditched her with the rest of the lot," Draco stated with his lower lip stuck out and his voice full of mock pity.

"Yes, I know. It was worth a shot, though. Can't blame me for trying."

"Ready?"

"Ready as I'm going to be."

Once they were outside the Hogwarts gates, they very quickly disappeared. Moments later they were standing on the doorstep of the house that Seamus grew up in. He took a deep breath and knocked briefly on the door. It swung open to reveal an ancient woman who was about half of Seamus' size. Her face broke into a wrinkled, toothless smile upon seeing her grandson.

"Oh, I was afraid you'd changed your mind!" she wheezed as Seamus pulled her into a hug. She then turned to Draco. "Ah, so you're Draco, eh?"

"Yes, ma'am."

The old woman gave him a quick once over, beaming all the while. "Please call me Anne, son. I hate that 'ma'am' shite; it makes me feel old." Draco found himself being embraced by the woman and blushing fiercely. Upon releasing him, she took both boys by the hand and led them into the main of the house and into the sitting room. She took a seat opposite them as Seamus took the liberty of conjuring a pot of tea. "So, Seamus tells me that you're a teacher."

"Yes, I teach Defence Against the Dark Arts," he spoke timidly.

"Wonderful! How do you like it?"

"Oh, I love it. There are really a lot of bright kids in Hogwarts. And they seem to like me so I can't complain."

"Oh, how could they not?" she exclaimed. "Seamus, why didn't you bring him home sooner? He's really quite delightful." Draco was feeling as though he was no longer in the room. She turned to him once again, stating, "I always said that Seamus had good taste in men." Turning back to Seamus, she asked, "How long do you have to stay with us, dear? You won't be running right off, will you?"

"Not right away, no. We've got a few days, yet," Seamus replied. "Is Thomas here yet?"

"Yes, he and Marjorie took the kids to the grocery with your mother." A heavy sigh wracked her body as she laid a withered hand on her grandson's knee. "Don't worry, love. Everything will work out just fine."

In the next room a door slammed and the sound of pounding feet grew close. Within seconds two very little girls had rushed into the room, throwing themselves at Seamus. "Oh! Uncle Seamus, we missed you," they shouted in unison. Draco unconsciously leaned away from the attack zone, inadvertently drawing both girls' attention. "Who are you?" the littlest one asked.

"That's Uncle Seamus' wife, Lil," a voice came from the doorway. Everyone turned to glare at Thomas, leaning against the doorframe. A sickly sweet smile was plastered across his face. He took the chair next to his grandmother after kissing her cheek, at which a rather disgusted look crossed her face. "Or have you decided not to go that route?" he asked Seamus in contempt.

"I think that's quite enough out of you," the old woman muttered sternly, though Thomas took no notice.

"Draco, this is Lily," Seamus ignored his brother's remark and began introducing the little girls in front of him. "And this is Juliana," he gestured to the slightly older girl, who was curtsying.

"Lovely to meet you," he said, taking each of their tiny hands in one of his own and kissing them, eliciting giggles and blushes from both girls.

"Are you really Uncle Seamus' wife?" Lily asked innocently.

"He can't be, he's a boy," Juliana replied in a very matter-of-fact tone. "He's his husband," she finished, beaming at Draco, who had gone white as a sheet.

"Actually, we aren't married," Seamus told them.

"Are you going to get married?" Lily asked her uncle.

Draco and Seamus exchanged a look. "Maybe some day."

"Why don't you see if your mother needs help in the kitchen," Thomas ground out. The girls made a hasty exit. Silence lay over the room like a blanket. "Well," he began, sounding as though he were trying to sound sweet, "aren't you going to introduce me to your- hmm, what is he? Significant other? Is that description ambiguous enough for you? I know how vague you love to be, Seamus."

"Actually, I've gotten over that, thank you. I'm not ashamed to say that this is my boyfriend, Thomas, especially since it makes you flinch."

Sure enough, Thomas had flinched at his brother's use of the word describing his companion. His face had darkened and he was wringing his hands in his lap. "It isn't the word that makes me flinch. I assure you that."

Rolling his eyes, Seamus replied in a monotone, "Yeah, I know, it's my deplorable lifestyle that irks you. And you just can't believe that I would have the bollocks to bring someone home for the holiday, right? How dare I subject the pure and innocent members of my family to the likes of sickos like us, right? I've heard it all before, and I am growing rather tired of it, Thomas, so please lay off for once. If you really dislike me that much, why do you insist upon being in the same room as me?"

"Because it gives me such pleasure to see you squirm," he said through clenched teeth.

"Well, Thomas, I didn't know you swung that way! Does Marjorie know?" Anne interjected. The two on the couch burst into laughter while Thomas himself became a lovely shade of lobster red. "Hmm, I guess not. I wonder how she will take it?"

"That's. Not. Funny. Gran."

"Actually, it's a riot," Seamus replied, still giggling. "Seeing as you're the one squirming, and all."

"Get fucked, Seamus. And you," he pointed at Draco, "you keep your goddamn hands off of my kids. If you ever so much as-"

"That is quite enough, Thomas!" Anne jumped up, raging. For a moment all Thomas could do was glare. Abruptly, he stormed out of the room. The old woman took her seat as she poured herself another cup of tea. "Don't mind him, Draco, dear. He's all bark and no bite as they say. Marjorie will set him right, you'll see."

"Yes, if the cycle of the moon is agreeing with her," Seamus sarcastically muttered.

Stifling a giggle by sipping her tea she whispered, "And this cycle is rather agreeable, thank the Powers That Be." The woman in question entered the room as if on cue. "Ah, speak of the devil!"

"Actually, he just left," she laughed, taking a seat next to Draco. "Hi there, Draco, is it?"

"Yes, thank you. Marjorie, I presume?" He shook her hand.

"That would be me. Sorry about Thomas. He's…"

"No need for you to apologize. Really."

"So you're the reason Thomas is in such a huff!" another woman shouted upon entering the room. Seamus grabbed Draco's hand and they held on to each other for dear life. "I should have figured as much," spat the woman, glaring pointedly at her son and his lover. Abject terror had seized Draco. "Well? What have you got to say for yourself?"

"I- I'm sorry?" he tried. Those were the only words he could muster; his vocal cords had locked up.

"As well you should be!" At that point, she glanced down to see their locked hands. "And knock that off this instant! I will have none of that going on while you are under my roof, boy. Don't you have any decency? Really!" And she was gone as quickly as she had come, Marjorie following right behind her.

Once the shock had worn off Draco buried his face in his hands, crying into them. Seamus pulled him into his arms, stroking his hair in an attempt to calm him down. Anne was looking nothing short of completely furious. No sooner had Draco regained his self-control that yet another body appeared in the doorway. Afraid of another confrontation, Draco tensed. The boy smiled at him, extending his hand.

"I see you've met Mother." His eyes were twinkling with the same kind of humour Seamus possessed. "Hi, I'm Burke."

"Draco," murmured Draco as his hand was vigorously shaken.

"Don't worry, she makes everyone cry," the boy whispered into Draco's ear. He then moved to his grandmother and kissed her cheek. "'Lo, Nan." Finally, he turned to his brother, grinning. "And you! I can't believe you set Mother loose on him!" he exclaimed, throwing his arms around Seamus' neck.

"Thomas set her loose, and you know it," Seamus replied, picking on the tiny boy. "Why, if I had my way about it, she'd never be allowed in front of anyone, at all, ever."

"Don't say that," admonished the old woman. "It might do her some good if you were to take her out sometimes. Get her out of my hair."

"Yes, we'll take her to the zoo and throw her in with the tigers," came Seamus' suggestion.

"They'd probably get indigestion," Draco muttered under his breath.

The three other people in the room all turned to Draco with stunned expressions. Laughter followed not a second later. "He's pretty cool, Seamus. Where'd you find 'im?"

"Hagrid's dragon pen."

"Did not!"

"It's true. I walked in one night and found this lovely little creature hidden under a pile of chicken bones," he teased.

"Liar!" exclaimed Draco, laughing. "I was not _under those chicken bones, I was merely __next to them. And as I recall, it was __I who found __you."_

"Is that so?"

"Yes, I believe that I picked you off the floor of the dining hall. Or don't you remember?"

"Hmm, now that you mention it, I seem to remember carrying someone off when he went into debilitating hysterics in the hallway. Swept you right off your feet, I did!"

"Ha! And they say that romance is dead!" Anne cried.

**

Three days later Seamus and Draco were saying their goodbyes to the former's family. Excepting, of course, Thomas and his mother. Lily and Juliana had become very attached to Draco in the short time they'd known him. Out of everyone in the family, Draco was the only one who never seemed to tire of their presence. Both Seamus and Draco almost died of shock when Marjorie hugged them and told them to come and visit sometime. Burke was practically beside himself when he found out that Draco was going to be his teacher next year. Wiping tears from her eyes all the while, Anne grudgingly let them on their way only after they promised to send her owls on a more regular basis and 'visit a poor old lady once in a while'.

Christmas holiday was not yet over for the students, but both Draco and Seamus were beyond glad that their holiday had finally come to a close. As soon as they were through their portrait hole the two collapsed onto the couch, embracing each other with everything they had. Onlookers might have thought that they had just seen each other after spending years apart, they were that glad to be home and alone.

"Was it as bad as you expected it to be?" Draco finally broke the silence.

"That first day was worse than I expected, but the rest of it wasn't that bad." He grew thoughtful for a moment. "You made it a lot better than it usually is."

"Thanks, love. Although if that's how they are when you've got company, I'd hate to see what they're like when you're alone."

"Imagine my mother and Thomas times a thousand."

"Really?"

"Under normal circumstances, they would not have kept to themselves as much as they did. They seem to thrive off of my misery. But what about you? What do you think?"

Taking his time with that answer, Draco finally responded, "I totally dig the old dragon. She's great. I like your brother's kids, but I hate your brother. His wife's not bad. Kind of odd, but not bad. I hate your mother. And I can't wait to have Burke here next year." They returned to silence for a few moments before Draco voiced his thoughts. "Seamus, can I ask you a question?"

"I don't know. Are you-"

"Fine, I'll take that as a yes. I'm kinda confused about your family."

"Who isn't?"

"Well, what I can't figure out is why your mum and your older brother are so much alike and yet your grandmother and Burke and you are so different from them. I mean, how could your mum have turned out like that with a mother like hers?"

Seamus tensed. "Actually, that's my father's mother who you met. My mother doesn't speak to hers. Never has," he abruptly replied.

"Oh." Draco was mentally slapping himself for bringing up his lover's past. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring it up again."

"No, you've got as much a right to ask that as anything else. So do you want the long and drawn out version of events, or just a quick run down?"

"I'll take the quick run down."

"My dad ran off when I was five but I saw him that last time before ***chokes*** you know." Draco squeezed his arms tighter around the other's waist. "So my grandmum felt that it was like her responsibility to help my mum out, so she moved in with us. Mum got all stuck to the bottle. She was a mess for a long time." Here he stopped to wipe tears from his eyes. "Still is, actually. At any rate, Nan took over raising us after my mum got herself all good and fucked beyond all recognition." Anger was replacing sadness as Seamus viciously cleaned himself up. "You know, one shouldn't really hate one's own parents."

Even though his body was with Seamus on the couch, Draco's mind was off in the dark recesses of his past. Over the course of the last two years he had all but forgotten about the person he used to be. As far as he was concerned, that person was little more than a bad memory. The thing that had made him that way, Lucius, was a very bad reality that he had neglected to think about at all. Hatred and disdain were the only words he could find that even came close to accurately describing his feelings for his father.

"…boffing like mad ferrets on every street corner! Unbelievable!"

"WHAT?"

"Catholics."

"You have totally lost me."

"That was quite apparent when your eyes got all glassy a few minutes ago. I was wondering how long I was going to talk before you realized that I'd changed the subject."

"You evil creature!" Straddling his lover, Draco pinned him to the couch. "How dare you tease me like that!"

"It was the ferret part wasn't it?"

"You're never going to let me live that one down, are you?"

"Not a chance."

"Seamus?"

"Yes, love?"

"Thanks for bringing me home."

"You mean to say that you enjoyed the torture I subjected you to?"

"No. I enjoy knowing that you love me enough to subject me to such torture."

"Yes, well, like you said: Without you I'm nothing."

**

Boxes were scattered around the small, two-bedroom house. Most everything was put into its place already, though there were a few things yet to be discovered. Stuck in among the newspaper and cardboard were two very exhausted wizards. They'd spent the last two days moving from the apartments inside Hogwarts that they had called home for the last five years to the house in Hogsmeade. The house that they had begged for, for the last three years was finally theirs.

Dumbledore had insisted that they remain within the confines of the school until any threat that might exist against Draco was eliminated. Attacks by the Death Eaters had been so few and far between that Dumbledore had been satisfied that the two were no longer at risk. The last thing he wanted was to lose his most successful teacher and his partner because of lax security on his behalf. He had then taken the liberty of concealing the house from prying eyes and magicks as a type of house-warming gift.

Part of Dumbledore's apprehension in fulfilling Draco and Seamus' request was due to the lack of threats he'd received over the years in regard to the former. Lucius Malfoy had not so much as owled his son since his seventh year at school. Draco had informed Dumbledore of Lucius' extra-curricular activities, but there was little that he could do without assistance from the Ministry. The Ministry insisted upon discounting Draco's testimony, saying that he was nothing more than a vindictive son getting back at his father. Over the years Lucius had maintained his spotless record, never having been identified by the Ministry as a Death Eater, complicating any attempts on Dumbledore and Draco's side to prove otherwise. Draco had secretly suspected that the entire Ministry had been given substantial amounts of money to ignore any accusations that he might raise against his father. If what Draco had told him was true, Dumbledore was anticipating threats if not an outright attack in response to his appointment of young Malfoy to the teaching position he held. When no such thing came, Dumbledore expected that Lucius was merely biding his time, waiting until Draco was out of the headmaster's sight before taking any action.

Five years and not a single threat later, Dumbledore was as cautious as ever. Concealment charms surrounded the little house in Hogsmeade, blocking not just its inhabitants, but the building itself. There was a tunnel built from the house to the castle so that Draco might not be seen leaving it when he left to attend his classes. Every precautionary measure that could possible be taken to protect the two young wizards was performed with utmost success. By the time all was said and done, not even the darkest of wizards could have broken through all the barriers surrounding the house and its inhabitants.

Life had become quiet and normal for Draco and Seamus. They had a place to call their own, both excelled at their jobs, and they actually felt safe. All in all, everything had fallen into place.

*****

Told you I was being long winded. Is it satisfactory? For setting the scene, that is. Please, please, please say it is!

Thanks to all you lovely creatures who reviewed, you made my world! Goddess Shinigami, IloveyouIloveyouIloveyouIloveyou! Without you, I don't think I would continue to do this and even if you were the only one who ever read anything I wrote, I would always do it for you! Yeah, my grammar has gotten kinda lousy. I promise the next chapter will be better off than this one is, so please just give me the benefit of the doubt. Look who I'm asking here! I love you very dearly, and thank you very much. Love and hugs and kisses and Ewoks and butterflies to you!; PepperjackCandy, you're such a sweetie! And I hope that this answers your question as to Snape's position. I threw that part in just for you, actually. I love you! ***BIG kiss***; Myr, thanks, I think it's pretty cool, too. Please let me know what you think of this. ***kisses***; Mrrrisa, thank you very much. Stay tuned for later chapters, I'll get a bit more into Draco's mind, explaining what changed in his mind a bit more thoroughly. Hope you like it! Cheers, all, and thanks again! I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU!


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